Page 8 - Florida Sentinel 1-22-16 Edition

Local
Young Author Explores Racism In Black Families
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
When one thinks of racism, it is oftentimes associ- ated with people of different skin tones. However, a Tampa professor has conducted re- search on the stigma racism plays in Black families.
In her first book, enti- tled “The Color of Love: Racial Features, Stigma and Socialization in Black Brazilian Fami- lies,” Dr. Elizabeth Hordge Freeman visited the country of Brazil, where she spent about a year. During that time, she interviewed 116 people.
She will present her first book to the community at a book signing on Saturday, from 12 noon until 2 p.m., on January 23. It will take place at the Barnes & Nobles, 213 N. Dale Mabry Highway.
“I found that racial fea- tures (skin color and hair tex- ture) have an impact on how a person is treated within their own families. But, I also learned that Brazilian families create strategies to deal with racism both reproducing and
challenging racism at the same time. Families prioritize working within the system to obtain more opportunities for their family members.
"My research illustrates that the “Black Lives Matter” movement has become global. It is critical to recognize how Black lives matter within the United States and beyond.”
A Tampa native and the daughter of Larry and Patri- cia Hordge, Dr. Hordge Freeman graduated from Hillsborough High School. She continued her education at Cornell University, where she obtained her degree in Bi- ological Sciences and Spanish with a Concentration in Latin American Studies.
After graduating, Dr. Hordge Freeman earned her Master’s Degree and Ph.D. in Sociology from Duke Uni- versity. She began this re- search as part of her dissertation.
She has dedicated more than 6 years to collecting data for the book. She said the country of Brazil has only re- cently begun to challenge racism in the past few decades.
It’s different from the U. S.
DR. ELIZABETH HORDGE-FREEMAN ... Author of “The Color Of Love”
which has an established Black middle class, Brazil only has a very small segment of success- ful Black-owned businesses.
“My research is important because outside of Nigeria, Brazil has the highest number of Blacks in the world. It also exported ten times more slaves than the United States but because of racial stigma and years of racial silence, many Brazilians are just now coming to identify as black,” she said.
While in Brazil, Dr. Hordge Freeman had the opportunity to experience racism first hand. She recalled an incident where a Brazilian police officer placed a gun to her head. “When they realized I spoke English, everything changed. They literally bowed before me and apologized” she said.
Dr. Hordge Freeman is married to McArthur Free- man, II, and the mother of one son, Nathaniel. During her spare time, she enjoys traveling, reading, and spend- ing time with her family. She is
also a member of the Tampa Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta.
Dr. Hordge Free- man currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Sociol- ogy at the University of South Florida. She created the USF in Bahia, Brazil program to ex- pose her students to Brazilian culture over the course of one month during the summer.
She is currently preparing to release a second co-edited book next month. For addi- tional information contact Dr. Hordge Freeman at www. drhordgefreeman.com.
Tampa YMCA
Invites Members
To Compete In
Treadmill Challenge
The Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA and YMCA of Florida’s First Coast are inviting their members to participate in the 2016 Treadmill Tuesday Challenge. The competi- tion pits the Tampa Bay and North- east Florida communities against each other for the greatest distance traveled on a treadmill.
This free event, open to YMCA
members and nonmembers, takes
place Tuesday, Feb. 9 from 7 a.m.-
7 p.m., and encourages healthy liv-
ing while promoting friendly
competition among community
members in the Tampa Bay area and Northeast Florida.
Tampa Bay Area community members will compete by com- pleting a 30-minute treadmill workout at the Tampa YMCA branches or via social media.
At Tampa Y facilities, staff will record the distance each partic- ipant walks, jogs or runs on a treadmill for 30 minutes. To join from other locations via Twitter, participants should tweet a post- workout photo of treadmill dashboard displaying the total dis- tance. Social media participants should use #TreadmillTuesday tagging @TampaYMCA.
Throughout the day-long event, Tampa YMCA branches will offer giveaways, chance-drawings and activities to further encour- age participation. To learn more about Treadmill Tuesday and what to look forward to at your neighborhood Y, contact Dawn.Kita@tampaymca.org.
PAGE 8-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016